Never give up!
by The Vampaneze Lady
Summary: Set at the start of Palace of the Damned. Larten is walking through the snowy wasteland and doesnt have the strength to go on, only one thing can give him motivation! :P


**Hey :) I know I shouldn't be writing anymore fics-at least not until I've finished some others-but I HAD to write this one. Besides, it's only a one shot! xD A pointless one really But...**

**It's dedicated to...a friend. **

**A friend whose name I'd rather not mention name. A friend that I know has been feeling down and stressed lately. A friend that I want to know-Even when they're in trouble, there's always something that can help, and no matter how bad things get, they will get better...Just for a friend. 3**

**And THAT is what this fic is trying to say! **

Larten trudged wearily through the snow-his body shivering, even under the warmth of his bear skin hood. The baby was curled up in his arms, pressing himself against Lartens chest-trying to steal any of the body heat that Larten had left. The young human boy shivered as well- too cold to cry, too cold to even move. He lay as still as a statue, breathing in and out heavily-his breath forming white tendrils of smoke as it hit the cold air. Larten looked down at him guiltily; the heavy weight of the young boys' parents' murder still sat on the vampires' shoulders, making his feel instantly guilty whenever he looked at the boy. Even now, in the middle of the ice desert, freezing to death, Larten still couldn't escape that feeling of remorse-it kept eating away at him, and he felt he needed to repay the child. The only thing he could do to repay him now was to keep him alive. And that was the reason why Larten kept walking through this living hell-not for himself, and not for his clan-but for the child. The child that-at this moment in time-was his only reason for living. If it wasn't for the human boy then Larten would have given up a long time ago, let himself drop and die undisturbed in the cold, but he couldn't do that now-so he walked on. His legs grew weaker and weaker with every step he took-walking a metre made him feel like he had climbed a mountain, and If he even tried to do anything but shuffle his feet forward then he was sure he would collapse-he had no energy left. He blinked fresh snow out of his eyes as it fell, but even that felt like a difficult task-the harsh weather conditions, and lack of food in the area were killing him-literally. He needed to rest, but he couldn't-the wind blew stronger now and he couldn't sleep out in the open. If he did then If he didn't freeze to death then it was very likely that he was going to be attacked by a wild animal, and would be unable to fight it off. Larten had no idea where to find shelter or civilization but he still kept walking. During the day there was little sunlight so he could stay out in the open-as long as he had his hood to protect him. The snow and clouds blocked most of the sun anyway. He followed the flashes of Yellow and Green that would appear occasionally, he felt they were guiding him-even if he had no idea what they were, he still followed them. The snow started to fall thicker and faster, blanketing Lartens vision and covering the child in a layer of white. As night fell for what seemed like the thousandth time over the snowy wasteland, and at last Larten could take it no more. He collapsed to the floor, his knees buckled and his head spun. He reacted just in time and thrust his arms out in front of him, as not to squish the child under his weight. "I...am...sorry..." He puffed to the baby, it hurt him to speak-his breath was short and he had no energy left in him. "So...sorry..." Then, as a thin layer of snow started to cover him and the child, he fell into a deep slumber.

_People swirled in and out of his dreams, Dancing around him, Smiling, Laughing and Chatting. Some of them he didn't recognise by name, but he had seen them before. They were all vampires-ones that he had seen in the mountain. Then there were the few he did recognise-the ones that brought a smile to his face. Seba and Wester. His mentor and his friend-His father and his brother? They danced and laughed with the others, but then they stopped. They waved at him and smiled-their laughter echoed in Lartens ears. But then they disappeared in a wisp of smoke to be replaced by a girl. She wasn't the most beautiful girl in the world-but Larten found her beautiful all the same. Her name was Malora, and seeing her made this dream a nightmare. He guilt at seeing her face almost consumed Larten whole-it was his fault he had died, but then things grew grimmer. He saw a man and a woman next to Malora-he didn't recognise them, but he knew who they were-they were the Childs parents. And that was when he came to his sleepy conclusion-He deserved to die. He had stolen these peoples' lives-and had orphaned their child. He was a monster-no, he was less than a monster. He was nothing. _

_A nothing._

_The nothing._

_What happened next surprised him, the parents and Malora smiled at him happily. Malora opened her mouth and spoke "Don't worry Larten. I died for you, and I'd do it again. Just make sure I didn't die for nothing." The two parents nodded, and the boy's father spoke as well._

"_Look after our boy." He instructed "Make us proud..." Suddenly, the three figures disappeared and once again Larten was looking at the shiny faces of Seba and Wester._

"_Do not let me down, Larten." His master grinned "I believe in you."_

"_Me too." Wester stuck his tongue out "Besides-"he added, "You can't leave me alone with this old grump." He indicated towards Seba "Not forever, anyway." Seba smiled childishly and put his hand up to slap Wester playfully. Just as his hand make contact with Westers head, they both vanished and Larten was left with nothing but Darkness. _

He woke suddenly, his body blanketed in white snow. It was still dark; he couldn't have been asleep for that long, could he? No, the moon was still shining in the sky up above, and it was still the same crescent moon-which meant it hadn't been longer than 24 hours. He lay still for a few seconds-shivering and breathing heavily-when he suddenly remember something. "The baby!" he spoke aloud, staring at the white bundle in his hands. He lunged forward and sat upright, wiping as much snow as he could off the almost frozen child, "I am sorry..." he mumbled before checking the boys pulse. The boy was still alive-just. Then, with all the energy he could use, he pulled himself to his feet-the child clutched tightly in his arms. And, with no sense of direction-and with no almost no chance of making it through the night, he set off again. Only now did he not just continue, for himself, or his clan, or the boy-he continued for the dead. For Malora, and for the boy's parents. More importantly- he continued for his Mentor and his Friend. Because he now had a motive-something that willed him to push himself on-he had a family to go home to...

**Like it? Review? **

**he message-there's always something worth continuing for, you may not see it at first-but there's always one thing in this world that will give you the strength to go on! 3 :D**


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